Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-03-03
The Penokee Iron Range.
From the Chronicle.

Gogebic, (g's all hard. What | saw
and learned while there ! am per
suaded will be of interest 10 your
readers, many Of whom cannot, or
think they cannot, spare the time
TO go and see for themselves.
The Gogebic range enters the state
about 20 miles southeast Of where
the eastern state line intersects the
shore of Lake Superior. 1t runs
southwest through Ashland county
and into Bayfield, county. The range
Is called on the charts Of our geolog-
ical survey, "The Penokee Iron
Range" il is well defined, and is
bounded by schists and states, carry
ing small per cent Of magnetic
iron ore. The rocks rise in places
TO the dignity Of hills 200 #. in
height, and mark the course Of iron
bearing strata. These layers are
set on edge, inclining slightly to
the th.east, and between them
are found those immense bodies of
red and brown bemalite, which are
the object of Iron miners search.
Geoligists tell us that those i'm
mense deposits of hematite, or iron
rust, have come from washing and
rusting or oxydizing Of those same
magnetic schists that now stick out
Of those bills aud have been deposit
ed in the pockets, openings or lenses
as they are called there, by the
action Of water, when the layers are
horizontal, and that since then by
some mighty force the earth's crust
has been broken and the layers set
on edge, and what were once fiat
openings are now perpendiculars,
aud The fractures, especially over
these soft bodies of ore, have been
worn away by the elements and
covered from 80 to 100 feet, with
drift, consisting Of sand, clay and
gravel. Over this agaio has grown
mighty forest, aud all surface IN
dicatlons Of the hematite have been
obliterated.
The course Of the range can be
followed and mapped out by he
variations and destinations of the
magnetic needle; but no ore of that
primitive or magnetic sort has yet
been found in sufficient quantities
TO pay for mining, as most OF the
magnetic rock only assays from 20
to 40 pen cent. iron, and iron ore be-
low so per cent. has 30 marketable
value,
The hcmattes found on the range,
assay from 90 TO IS per cent. iron.
They contain almost no phosphorus
which makes iron brittle aud rotten;
almost no sulphur, which burns up
the iron while smelling; almost no
manganese, which makes iron hard;
almost no silica, which requires an
admiXture of an equal quantity of
limestone to melt IT; in short, it is
exactly the kind of ore that makes
the best. steel, wrought iron or east.
iugs and requires the least expense
70 reduce it from the ore. These
deposits of hematIte are absolutely
nonmaguetc, but are found some
where in the limits Of the Iron
Range proper, which is about 1900
feet wide. The deposits Of hema-
lite are called lenses, from their sup
posed resemblance TO the shape of
glass from a speclaeles, in some
cases 1000 feet long 40 thick in the
middle, and rounded off at each end,
thinner than i'll the middle; and, MS
| said before, set up on their edge
and of an unknown width and depth.
The openings containing them are
not continuous, although the course
of the lenses conform To the range
and are therefore parallel TO each
other. But one lens is no guide To
the next one, as it may be north or
south of it and ut a different depth.
To give your readers some idea of
the difficulties and uncertainties of
prospecting on this iron range, as
clearly as | can do so in words, with
OUT tlt hlN VI "A uldL ram W HtCN
would make all clear in an instant.
Suppose a cake 10 be made, and at
different depths as the dish was fill
ed, silver dollars were 70 be laid In
and then more dough and more dol
lars until the dish was full, suppose
these dollars TO be laid in without
any order or arrangement except
that they should be horizontal or
nearly SO; suppose the cake to be
then baked, afterwards cut in two,
perpendieularly, and the two halves
put side by side, the cut faces upper
most, then the cut faces covered
with from two to three inches OF
pow dered sugar Let some one then
take a fine needle and see how diff
hcult il would be 10 strike the edge
of one of those dollars, especially
SO il the proportion of dough to